Flameback coral shrimp (Stenopus pyrsonotus)
Source-cited species reference: taxonomy from WoRMS, biology from SeaLifeBase, occurrence map from GBIF, description from Wikipedia.
Last updated
CORBARI & POUPIN · via Wikipedia: Stenopus pyrsonotus · CC BY 4.0
Stenopus pyrsonotus is a shrimp-like decapod crustacean belonging to the infraorder Stenopodidea, native to the Indo-West Pacific region. Common names include flameback coral shrimp, ghost boxing shrimp and cave shrimp; the species is sometimes kept in reef aquariums.
Scientific classification
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumArthropoda
- CladePancrustacea
- ClassMalacostraca
- OrderDecapoda
- SuborderPleocyemata
- FamilyStenopodidae
- GenusStenopus
- SpeciesStenopus pyrsonotus
Named by Goy & Devaney, 1980
Close relatives
Other species of Stenopus with a Codexery entry.
- Stenopus hispidus Stenopus hispidus
- Stenopus scutellatus Stenopus scutellatus
Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Stenopus pyrsonotus (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 210367 (CC BY 4.0)
Where the flameback coral shrimp (stenopus pyrsonotus) has been recorded
Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (105 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 3 inland records left out (institution coordinates).
Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain)
Quick Facts
- Scientific name
- Stenopus pyrsonotus
- Authority
- Goy & Devaney, 1980
- Family
- Stenopodidae
- Order
- Decapoda
- Depth range
- 0–129 m / 0–423 ft
- Habitat zone
- benthic
- Gbif occurrence records
- 105
Facts from the source article.
Classification (WoRMS)
Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Arthropoda · Class: Malacostraca · Order: Decapoda · Family: Stenopodidae · Genus: Stenopus.
Accepted name: Stenopus pyrsonotus · Authority: Goy & Devaney, 1980 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 210367.
Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=210367 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)
Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Stenopus pyrsonotus. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.
Depth range: 0–129 m · Habitat zone: benthic.
Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 20703) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Stenopus-pyrsonotus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)
105 georeferenced occurrence records for Stenopus pyrsonotus are published through GBIF from 9 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 19 distinct locations from a sample of 105 records, omitting 3 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.
Most records by country or area: United States of America (83); Réunion (8); French Polynesia (6); United States Minor Outlying Islands (2); Mayotte (2); Kenya (1); Marshall Islands (1); Mauritius (1); Niue (1).
Marine regions with a valid WoRMS distribution record: Mauritian Exclusive Economic Zone; Comoran Exclusive Economic Zone; New Caledonian Exclusive Economic Zone; French Polynesian Exclusive Economic Zone; Réunion Exclusive Economic Zone.
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 5178715) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5178715&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=210367 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Description and natural history (Wikipedia)
Stenopus pyrsonotus is a fairly large stenopodidean shrimp, varying in length from about 30 to 70 mm. It has a slender compressed body covered with short blunt spines. The chelae are long and narrow, the cutting edge having several blunt, peg-like teeth.
The rostrum, eyestalk and carapace are pinkish-white, while the third maxillipeds, and the coxa, basis, ischia and mer joints of the pereiopods are translucent pink. The long antennules and the other appendages are white, and the abdomen is white apart from a broad longitudinal red stripe on the dorsal surface. The telson is white while the uropods are pink.
Stenopus pyrsonotus occurs in the tropical Indo-West Pacific region, where it has been found in the Hawaiian archipelago and Mauritius. It is a benthic, cryptic species, and is found in coral reef systems, typically in crevices, in caves and under overhangs. It occurs at depths down to about 130 m.
Shrimps in this family are usually found in pairs and display elaborate courtship rituals. Several specimens of Stenopus pyrsonotus were found near a yellow-edged moray eel (Gymnothorax flavimarginatus), and it may be that this shrimp enters into a cleaning symbiosis with certain fish, as do several other members of its genus; this theory is supported by the showy white antennules and pincers, with which it may signal its availability.
Source: Wikipedia: Stenopus pyrsonotus — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stenopus_pyrsonotus (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Stenopus pyrsonotus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Classification: the source article's taxobox; order, family and genus checked against WoRMS, the World Register of Marine Species (CC BY 4.0).
- Occurrence records: GBIF (CC0 / CC BY). Basemap: Natural Earth (public domain).
- Biology values: SeaLifeBase species summary (CC BY-NC 3.0, non-commercial).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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